Elevating scaffold



March 6, 1945. H. SOSKlN ELEVATING SCAFFOLD Filed Aug. 3. 1943 4 sheets-Sheet 1 March 6,1945. H, SQSKIN [2,370,887

ELEVATING SCAFFOLD Filed Aug. 5, 1943 4 Sheets-Shea?l 2 March 6, 1945. H, SOSK|N l2,370,887

ELEVATING SCAFFOLD Filed Aug. 3, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 ffy/l Patented Mar. 6, 1945 i l ELEVATING scAFFoLD Harry saskia, Philadelphia, Pa. Application August 3, 1943, `Serial No.l 497,245

Claims. i

.My invention relates to a new and `useful elevating scaffold and has for one of its objects to provide a device of this character including a platform to be raised and lowered by the use of air, fluid, electrically or mechanically operated means.

Another object of this invention is to provide an unique lazy tong structure for elevating the platform from a supporting frame or carriage.

Another object of the invention is to provide l. S04-29h` ing mechanisms removed to plainly show the construction of the framework.

Fig. 6 is -an enlarged fragmentary sectional View on the line B-- of Fig. 1.A

Fig. 7 -is a similarview on the line 1-1 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 8 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional View at onetend of the vbase supporting frame or braces for the lazy tong units to prevent any undue sidewise swaying which might cause the structure to collapse. l

Another object of the present invention is to provide specially constructed lazy tong units that they may bel disassembled for shipping or transportation purposes and reassembledy at the location where the scaffold is to be used.

A further object of the invention is to provide a removable bed for holding work pieces, for example, air or other duct sections to be installed overhead and to provide means for shifting the bed longitudinally any suitable distance for any desirable purpose and also, to provide means for increasing the width of the bed.

A still further object of the invention is to pro-w vide a walk supported by hangers on the platform and to provide a ladder or ladders slidably connected with the walk.

The structure may be varied in shape, size and dimensions to constitute an elevatingplatform, life saving and fire fighting apparatus, lookout tower and many other useful appliances lin addition to the scaffold which is used by various me chanics in their particular lines of work.

With the above andotherobjects in view this invention consists of the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and specifically designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to vwhich this invention appertains may'understand how to make and use the same I will describe its construction in detail referring by numerals to the accompanying drawings formingl a part hereof, in which- Fig. l is a `side elevation of an elevating scaffold constructed in accordance with my invention, said scaffold being shown in an elevated condition with the removable bed thereon supcarriage. l

Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the lower part of the apparatus illustrating the use ofl twov operating cylinders. l

Fig. 10 is a side elevation of the upper part of the Iapparatus illustrating Vthe platform without.

vthe bed andshowing howthewalk may be arranged level with the platform.

Fig. 11 is a detailsectional elevation ofvone form` of the sides or side. rails -of a lazy tong unit. l

Fig.- 12 is an edge-view of oneof the side rails, partly in section. f

' Fig. -13 is an enlargedfragmentarysectional elevation of the scaffold `platform frame, the vwalk and supporting bracket, and the ladder with its mounting. -v A Fig. 14 is a side-elevation or edge view, on a reduced scale, lof another form of side rail of a lazy tong unit.

Fig. 15 is a detail-view of the mechanical lifting mechanism for operation by hand or a sep-.

arate prime mover.

Fig. 16 is asectional elevation of the axis of two units of the lazy tong structure.`

Fig. 17 is an elevation of oneface of two sets of units of a lazy tong to show the braces.

Fig. 18 is a view of- Fig. 17 reversed. n Fig. 19 is an enlarged elevation of one Vunit with the braces. 1

porting an air duct and the' near sidev slides broken off and illustrated in section.

Fig. 2 is a horizontal sectional view of Fig. 1 about midway the height thereof and looking downward.

Fig. v3 is a top plan view of Fig. l without the air duct. A

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of the scaffold retracted or lowered.

Fig. 5 is an end view Aof Fig. 1 with the elevat Fig. 20 is a similar view ofthe coacting unit. Fig. 21 is a section on the line 2 I-2I of Fig. 20. Fig. 22- is lan enlarged cross sectional view through the axis of a lazy tong unit showing another form of side rail construction.`

In carrying `out myv invention as herein ernbodied 25 representsy the base supporting frame or carriage includingv a body 26 consisting' of channely iron sides and ends, uprights 21 fixed to the body, and horizontal channel iron tracks 28 fixed to the upper portions of the uprights and spaced fromand above the sides of the'body, parallel with' saidside's. The carriage is preferably mounted on`a suitable running gear of a desirable type such as castors 29.'

On the base supporting frame or carriage are mounted a number of' lazy tongs 30 comprised of a plurality of units 3|. Figs'. 17 to 2'0. Lazy tongs units are pivoted together inpairsintermediate their ends to resemble the letter X and contiguous pairs are pivotedv together at their ends to 'produce the complete lazy 'tongs structure. Each elbows, at which points rollers 31, Figs. 7 and 8,`

are journalled on suitable trunnions 38, such as stud bolts, screwed into the bars 33 at these points, and these rollers run in the tracks 28.

f In a similar manner the upper endsof the sides pfone of the uppermost lazy tongs umts of each` of the lazy tongs structures is pivoted at a `iixed location to the `tracks 39, as at 40, Figs. 1 and 10,`

with square or equivalent shaped ends to receive a hand crank 60 for manual operation or the socket of an electrically actuated jimmy or other separate Apower unit. With the pinion 58 is associated a :ratchet wheel: 6l having a dog or ratchet 62 ,coacting therewith to prevent retro- `grade movement of the parts until desired.

Theflazy tongs units 3l are braced or strength 'I ened by angular braces 63, Figs. 17, 18,19 and 20,

Y Abraces Vform an X while others produce a diamond of the platform' 4l. f Rollers 42 are journalled on suitable trunnions 43 i-lxed to the upper ends of` the sides of the companion uppermost lazy Vtongs units which rollers'run in the tracks 39 of the` platform 4|.

The v platform consists,l primarily, of channel iron lsides and'ends but may be covered with i boards 44 or other ooring elements,v such as lslatted planks, Fig. 10, and lthese may be flush with the sides and ends o r they may lextend be yond the outside edges of said sides and ends.:

Postsv 45 are temporarily mounted along the'edges of the flooring and guard devices 46, of pipe, rope,

. chain and the like, are fastened to saidposts toi' keep persons from stepping oif of the iiooring at the edges'thereof. These same posts and guardg means are used in slightly different places in other instances and will be again referred .to laten vIn ord'er that the vlazy tongs structures work in unison, flexible means 41, such as cables, have one `of their ends attached to the angular extensions. 36 of one lazy tongs structure, then pass aroundv guide pulleys 48 and havetheir vopposite ends attached to the angularextensions of another lazy tongs structure.

To extend or protract the lazy tongs structures and thereby raise the platform 4| and objects associated therewith, a cylinder 49 is mounted on configuration. In order to permit movement of the units, the braces must be able to swing about the bars `33`whether they 'be the ones in the axis or at the ends of va unit." To accomplish this I mount several'sleeves64 on-each-bar 33, and each ofthe sleevesfexcept the endmost'ones at both ends of the lazytongsstructures, has one or more ears 65 to each of which an end of one or more of the braces are attached by fastening devices 66, such as bolts and nuts. Also certain of the braces are attached to ears 61 projecting from the sides 32 of a unit 3| by the same vkind of fastening devices 66. By taking a unit such as shown in Fig.` 20 and passing it endwise through the center of a unit such as shown in Fig. 19, the two units Vcan be fastened together to-'complete a member lar sections` 68 areshown screwed ontorthreaded bosses 69 projecting from the bearing members the base frame or carriage adjacent one end with v l, a suitable conduit 56 leading thereto behind the piston 5I and the outer end of the latter is con-` i' forced outward Aand one of the lazy tongs structures will rbe protracted` directly while the other will be similarly actuated through the medium of the flexible means 41 to elevate the platform an even horizontal position.

If desirable, a second cylinder 49a, Fig. 9,4 may be mounted on the base frame or carriage with but reverse to the cylinder 49 and will also be connected with the source of fluid supply by the` branch conduit 56a. The piston 5|a in the cyl- 5 inder 49d is connected with` the angular extenthrough a cross piece the same as the one numbered 52.

In addition to the cylinder and piston operaty ing means, 'a iiexible pull 53, Figs. 1, 2- and 15, has an end iixed' to the cross piece -52 and passes around'a guide. pulley 54 to the drum 55 on which the other end of said pull 53 is wound. The'drum is fixed to a shaft 56 -on which is also xed a gear 151 meshing with a pinion 58 on another shaft 59 sions 36 Vof the opposite 'lazy tongs structure, as`

16. The'central bearings have two bosses pro- Vjecting in opposite directions but the end bearings have only one boss each. Bolts 'H pass through two bosses of differentor coacting units, or a' boss and a track ofthe base or platform, and

av nut is screwed on the threaded terminal.

Where two units are pivoted together to form the axis of a lazy tongs melneber,y a bolt 12 is passed through two contiguous bearings and screwedy in to a nut'13` or equivalent rthreaded element mounted in an end of the hollow vbar 33a,

- Another form ofv units sides construction is depicted in Fig.,14 in which two bars or tubes 14 are bowed in opposite directions and xed in grooved bearings 15'o'r blocks to', provide each side and through vwhich bearings the'bolts pass as previously described.

A further modication of units' channels vof a single side, said channels beingarranged in opposed relation with the edges of their vflanges abutting and welded together along the vjoint, as at 16. In a Vmanner similar to that shown in Fig.' 11, the sides of a unit are pivotedA to the hollow bar 33a by'bolts 12 whichare screwed into the nuts 13 xed in said bar.

When it is'desirable to have awalk disposed below the platform 4 I, asin Figs. 1 to 6, inclusive, and 13, brackets 11. arehung on the platform `tracks'39 with the feet 'of saidA brackets extending The planks'l of the walkv haveangle ironsis secured to their side edgesl so'that a toe ofeach vangle projects outward'andl the underneath faces l sides construction is illustrated in- Fig. 22 where 16 denotes two.

of these outwardly projecting toes are engaged by the inturned toes of angle cleats 80 fastened to the legs of a step ladder 8| slidable alongthe top faces of the angles 19.

In order to transport an article or articles to and mount them, without disturbance, upon the platform, I provide a removable bed 82 detachably mounted on top of said platform andv extending down over the sides and ends of the latter. The bed sides and ends are formed from angles so as to fit over the platform and while the bed closely hugs the sides of the platform said bed is longer than said platform in order to be movable lengthwise. A screw 83 is threaded through one or each end of the bed so as to impinge an end of the platform and by screwing such screw inward the bed will be moved longitudinally. This is particularly useful when installing devices overhead such as, for example only, air ducts 84, Figs. 1 and 5. A certain number of sections may be assembled on the bed 82 at a place remote from the scaiold, then transported on the bed to the scaffold and placed on the scaffold platform. The scaffold is then elevated and shifted until the duct on the bed is in line with the previously installed part. The workman on 'the walk can screw the proper screw 83 inward which will slide the bed longitudinally and cause the male end of.

the duct to enter the .female end of the installed part. After fastening the part on the bed in place to its new supports, the scaffold may be lowered.

As it is often desirable to accommodate articles Wider thanv the bed, a number of sheaths 85 are xed to the top of said bed transversely thereof and slides 86 are telescoped therein so that some extend from one side of the bed and others extend from the opposite side. To the outer ends around the guide pulleys to transmit power and .motion from one lazy tongs structure to the other, rollers on said other lowermost members at the upper ends of the extensions and fitted in the tracks, a cylinder fixed to the base to receive fluid under pressure, a plunger in said cylinder and having its outer end connected to theangular extensions of one of the lazy tongs structures, a platform consisting of a frame vincluding channel tracks to which the upper of the slides extending on either side of the bed is secured a rail 81 preferably in the form of an angle with one of its toes projecting upwardly to function as a stop to .prevent an article from slipping off the bed.

While I have described my invention with particular reference to the use of two or more lazy tongs structures it will be apparent that for a small platform to be used in making inspections, changing electric light bulbs in high places and other small jobs, a single lazy tongs structure can be utilized to be actuated by the cylinders and their plungers.

Of course I do not wish to be limited to the exact details of construction herein shown and described as these may be varied within the scope of the appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having described my invention what I claim as new and useful is:

1. The combination with an elevating scaffold including ak base, a platform and lazy tongs structures between said base and platform for raising the latter, of a lbed removably mounted on said platform, said bed being slightly longer than the platform, and a screw threaded through one end of the bed and contacting an end of the platform.

2. The structure of claim l wherein sheaths are fixed to the bed crosswise thereof, slides mounted in said sheaths with some extending from each side of the bed, and rails of angle iron secured to the outer end of the slides.

ends of one of each of the uppermost members of the lazy tongs structures are secured, and rollers on the others of the uppermost members and flttedin the platform tracks.

4. The scaffold of claim 3, in combination with hangers mounted on the platform, slatted planks on said hangers, angle irons on the longitudinal edges of said planks, a ladder mounted on top of a plank, cleats carried by the legs of the ladder and engaging the angle irons to permit sliding of the ladder without accidental displacement, and safety guard meansl disposed along the outer edges of the planks. v

5. In an elevating scaffold, a lazy tongs structure including units each consisting of two sides, bars between said sides, 'sleeves on said bars, ears on said sleeves and sides, braces angularly arranged and connected to said ears, and fastening means to connect the several parts together.

6. The structure in claim 5 wherein the sides each consists `of two opposed channels with the edges of their toes or flanges fixed together.

'7. The structure in claim 5` wherein each of the sides consists of bearing members, threaded lugs projecting from said bearing members, and

sections of tubing screwed onto said lugs.

8. The structure in claim 5 wherein each ofk 9. An elevating scaffold comprising an oblong base carriage, and including longitudinal channel tracks facing inward, a platform consisting of channel tracks constituting a frame, a pair of lazy tongs structures having portions attached to the base carriage and platform, rollers on other portions of the lazy tongs structures and operating in the tracks, two cylinders mounted on the base carriage, pistons in said cylinders to operate in opposite directions and each connectedto a separate lazy tongs structure, and means to convey fluid under pressure `t'o said cylinders to protract the lazy tongs structures.

10. An elevating scaffoldl comprising a base, lazy tongsl structures operatively mounted on said base, a platform mounted on the lazy tongs structures, a cylinder xed on the base in a substantially horizontal position and adapted to receive uid under pressure, and a plunger in said cylinder having its outer end connected to only one lazy tongs structure.

, HARRY SOSKIN.

3. An elevating scaffold `consisting of a base 

